George Clooney The Ides Of March

The Ides Of March

Cast: George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, Paul Giamatti, Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Director: George Clooney
Genre: Drama
Running Time: 101 minutes

Synopsis: An adaptation of Beau Willimon's critically acclaimed play, set during the Iowa primary of a presidential race. The film follows a young press spokesman who falls prey to backroom politics, the treacherous manipulations of veteran operatives and the seduction of a young intern. Clooney plays Governor Morris, a candidate running in the presidential primary race for the Democratic Party ticket. Gosling plays his press spokesman, Giamatti plays a rival campaign manager, Tomei plays a reporter for the New York Times, and Wood plays an intern for the campaign.

Release Date: November 24th, 2011
Website: www.theidesofmarchmovie.com.au

About the Film

"I would call this movie a political thriller. I wouldn't think of it necessarily as a political movie," says George Clooney, who directs, produces, co-writes, and stars in The Ides of March. As it focuses more on process than platform, George Clooney says that the story will appeal to members of both parties. "I suppose if you're a Democrat you'll like the beginning of the movie best, and if you're a Republican you'll like the end best. It walks that line of picking on everybody. If it is a political movie, it's a political movie without pressing a specific agenda, and that was what was important to us." In that way, politics serves as a backdrop to the character arc and changes in motivation experienced by the main character, an idealistic staffer Stephen Meyers (played by Ryan Gosling).

In The Ides of March, Meyers finds his idealism and belief in his man taking a back seat to backroom political dealing and manipulative power plays. The origins of the film trace back to the summer of 2004. It was then that Beau Willimon - a young writer who had recently finished working on the staff of presidential hopeful Howard Dean's campaign in Iowa - wrote the first draft of his play "Farragut North." Beau Willimon drew from his own experiences to weave this tale of political intrigue and betrayal behind the scenes of a presidential campaign.

"I had worked on a number of political campaigns, and the play stemmed out of all of my experiences working in the political world," says Beau Willimon. "The characters are fictional amalgamations of the hundreds of people that I ran across during those experiences. But everything that is mentioned in the play - and to a certain extent reflected in the movie - in terms of breaking laws, manipulating the democratic process, the backroom dealing, the power plays - all that's true. It's scary how much politicians will manipulate the process to get that brass ring of the highest office in the land. Playing by the rules of the game is not what gets you elected president."

The play premiered at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York City in 2008, then moved to L.A.'s Geffen Playhouse in 2009. Eventually, it fell into the hands of an employee at Smokehouse Pictures, George Clooney and Grant Heslov's production company. Longtime friends George Clooney and Grant Heslov had previously collaborated on the multiple Oscar® nominee Good Night, and Good Luck, as well as Leatherheads, The Men Who Stare at Goats, and The American.

Translating the play from stage to screen involved a number of changes - not least of which is that Governor Morris, the candidate, becomes a character; he never appeared in the play. "The candidate did not exist in the play - he never speaks," says George Clooney. "In order to set up a good piece of storytelling, we devised a character - a candidate that Stephen believes in, who everyone believes in - so we could blow him out of the water. In the beginning he looks innocent, honorable - until you find out he's the least honorable of them all."

The filmmakers also changed the title, which George Clooney explains: "Farragut North' is a terrific title for the play, but it seemed a little too specific for the movie. We placed the primary on the 15th of March, and there are some Shakespearean themes to the movie."

With the script ready, George Clooney and Grant Heslov originally planned to shoot the movie in 2008. Then - appropriately enough - politics came into play. "We'd been working for about a year and a half on the screenplay in 2008," explains George Clooney. "Then Obama was elected and there was such hope, everyone was so happy. It didn't seem like the time was right to make the movie - people were too optimistic for such a cynical film! About a year later, everybody got cynical again, and then we thought we could make this film."

"This was a great piece of material," says producer Brian Oliver of Cross Creek Pictures. "It had great dialogue and great thriller moments. It's a play on morality and what people will do or have to do to get what they want - and at what cost.

"We really respect George Clooney and Grant Heslov and the actors," he continues. "George Clooney obviously knows the world of politics. He's proven that he's a phenomenal director and writer. And taking a world that he knows better than most and setting a thriller in that world is a very good fit."

Casting the Film
With the Smokehouse team at the helm, casting the film turned out to be relatively easy. "George Clooney and Grant Heslov have these relationships - people just want to work with them," says Brian Oliver. "We never would get a cast like we have without having George Clooney as the director. As a producer, it's kind of a dream job when George Clooney is directing. George Clooney and Grant Heslov decide which actors they want in the roles, and then they go get them all. There was no one who they thought they could get to do it that didn't do it."

"All the reactions from all the actors meant something to us," says George Clooney. "It meant that they all believed in the screenplay. This was our baby that we?d been working on - the quality of the cast alone put a great deal of responsibility on Grant Heslov and me to make sure we made a good film."

Academy Award® nominee Ryan Gosling was cast as Stephen Meyers, press secretary for Governor Morris. Ryan Gosling, an Academy Award® nominee for his performance in Half Nelson, says he was attracted to the role not only by the strong character arc and story, but by the chance to work with George Clooney. "Our characters are all here because we believe in Morris, and we believe in his campaign," he says. "I think that all of us as actors are here because we believe in George Clooney, and we believe in his campaign, which is this film." George Clooney fully understood the responsibility on Ryan Gosling's shoulders in undertaking this demanding role, which is vital to the success of the film. "The movie is about Ryan Gosling's character. He starts the movie, he ends the movie, he's in every scene," says George Clooney. "At the beginning, he's smart, the best at what he does, on top of the game, the one everybody wants. By the end of the film, the rug gets pulled out, and he's even better at his job than he was before - and all it costs him is his soul.

"It's an acting challenge," he continues. "Ryan Gosling is a really wonderful actor and he's perfect for the part."

Ryan Gosling explains that he was attracted to this "political film that's not political in its message. You don't really have to know or understand much about politics in order to follow the characters and be invested in the story. But it does offer a window into the sort of behind the scenes that you never really get to see."

Ryan Gosling admits that Stephen Meyers has played some dirty pool in his past, but working for Morris is a whole new ball game. "He has stars in his eyes for Governor Morris, because Morris is a sort of purist in the political world," says the actor. "As a candidate, he's not really interested in playing dirty politics, and he doesn't try and slander the name of his opponent."

Ryan Gosling believes Stephen Meyers' motives - if not his means - are pure as well. "My character really wants to effect change in the country and in the world, and he believes that his candidate can do that," he explains. "But if his candidate isn't going to win then he's not going to be able to be effective."

By the end of the film, "Stephen Meyers makes internal compromises that sort of create an environment internally that his soul can't exist in," says Ryan Gosling. "He's not really recognisable by the end of the film."

Philip Seymour Hoffman signed on for the role of Morris campaign manager Paul Zara. He was impressed by the script, which he calls a good study of human behavior not only under the pressure of politics and the political machine, but of living in America.

"I don't think Paul's really a bad guy," explains Philip Seymour Hoffman of his character. "I think Paul turns into a bad guy if you wrong him in a certain way. Loyalty is Paul's big thing. That's the only way to survive in that business, is that you have people you're loyal to, and you stay loyal to them. Paul relies on it."

In many ways, adds the actor, Paul is "kind of the guy that gets screwed."

The biggest challenge for Philip Seymour Hoffman in portraying the campaign manager was filling the shoes of someone whose job "I would never want to do in a million years," he says. "Being in the public eye and overseeing a presidential campaign - something so big and vast - it takes a certain kind of mind, a certain kind of confidence. I like to stand in the back a little bit."

Paul Giamatti was cast as Tom Duffy, manager of the rival Pullman campaign. "I thought the script was incredibly well written. The rhythms are really specific, and the language. You could tell it would be something fun to do," he says. "It's the kind of project where you just try to stay out of the way of the script. Every part in it is great."

As for the role of Tom Duffy, "It's a great part. I loved the role," he says. "Tom Duffy is in a funny way completely open about the fact that he's a Machiavellian duplicitous bastard. He doesn't really pretend to be anything other than that."

Although Paul Giamatti worked only five days on the shoot, "Part of the pleasure of the script," he explains, "is that there are lots of colors within the few scenes that Tom Duffy has. When he's there, it's very strong and vivid. I had wonderful stuff to do."

In the actor's view, Tom Duffy's underhanded tactics just come with the political territory. "There's no one in this movie who is particularly clean," he explains. "I think all these guys are super smart, and they're very charming and charismatic. They have to be really good at manipulating people."

The climate of the hotly contested Ohio primary raises the stakes - and fuels the gamesmanship - even more. "It's getting to a point where Tom Duffy, Paul Giamatti , and Stephen have to play particularly dirty and ugly with each other, because the race is close. It's heated up," says Paul Giamatti, "and it's harsh."

"It's a chess game," echoes Philip Seymour Hoffman. "You try to read what the other player's trying to do, and you try to counter that, or subvert that."

Marisa Tomei plays Ida Horowicz, a feisty reporter for The New York Times who is covering the primaries. The Oscar®-winning actress instantly responded to the script.

"I thought it was extremely tight and lean. A lot of layers and character development, combined with intrigue and a plot that was moving forward quickly," she says. "It's very clean in its use of language, and it has a very distinct rhythm. You had to be really on point with the ideas and your articulation, because the ideas in the script are so complex and layered."

Describing her character, Marisa Tomei explains, "She's friends with all the guys who are on the trail. There is a level of intimacy that comes with being on the road together and having dinner every night together. But at the same time, everyone's got their own job to do, so they've got their own territory to stake out and watch over."

While playing the role, Marisa Tomei discovered that the world of campaign journalism can be just as cutthroat as the campaigns themselves. "Ida's mission is to deliver the facts to the public and to beat everyone else to the punch," she says. "It's a lot of trading off of information. She's always looking for her opportunity to get more information and get the scoop faster and cleaner than the next guy. It's like a chess game."

Having grown up in Washington with an interest in politics, Jeffrey Wright - who was cast in the role of Senator Thompson - was particularly intrigued by the story. "It's about power and the machinations that level of power provokes in folks," he says. "Washington is a fairly ruthless place, and the stakes are very high for these characters.

"Senator Thompson has a fair amount of political leverage relative to the other characters, and he plays that to his advantage," says Jeffrey Wright. "He's complex. He wears a public face, but you're not quite certain if that public face is the real him."

According to Jeffrey Wright, the film touches on the disturbing nature of many trends emerging in contemporary politics. "The discussion seems to be getting more divisive and more shrill, and less about common interest and more about self-interest," he says. "But we've been having a fantastic time, because these elements are great fodder for actors."

Evan Rachel Wood was drawn to the character of Molly, an intern whose actions set in motion a dramatic and devastating series of events. "I loved the way they wrote this character," says Rachel Wood. "She could never be mistaken for the ditzy, blonde intern. I think the reason why Stephen's character is attracted to her is the fact that she's very calm. She's not fazed, she's not intimidated. She knows what she wants, and she's going after it. I think it's rare that you see a young female character doing that anymore.

"That was one thing that George Clooney and I really talked about, is that Molly is the one that should be intimidating," she adds.

One of the challenges for the actress was to find the character's vulnerable side as she encounters personal struggles. "She is a very strong, brave person. But anybody in her situation would just be completely terrified and vulnerable. So finding that balance of toughness and vulnerability was difficult - and interesting."

Max Minghella was cast as Ben Harpen, one of Morris young campaign aides. Minghella was "fanatical" about the play "Farragut North."

"I saw it twice in New York and then twice in L.A.," he admits. "When I found out the film was happening - it's the hardest I've ever worked to try and be involved in something."

Rounding out the cast is George Clooney in the role of Governor Mike Morris. George Clooney jokes that he was cast in the role because "no one else wanted to play that character. It's not the most fun part."

He adds that he was a natural for it because "I knew what I wanted the candidate to do and be. I also seemed right for the age of the character," he says. "It's not something I want to do in real life, but it's something that I knew I could do a portion of in this film."

The assemblage of acting talent in The Ides of March is an impressive one, and producer Grant Heslov is confident it won't disappoint. "The idea that you're going to get to see these actors who are all at the top of their game in this film is pretty amazing," he says. "As a fan of great acting, I can attest to it. It's really something to watch."

About the Design
Production designer Sharon Seymour worked with George Clooney on The Men Who Stare at Goats, which Grant Heslov directed; The Ides of March marks her first collaboration with George Clooney in the director's chair. It's also - she points out - the first contemporary film he's directed.

When she first read the script, she was "really happy and surprised to read something that was intellectually interesting, politically interesting and current," Sharon Seymour explains. "It was the kind of film I like to do and that I like to go see."

While George Clooney recommended that Sharon Seymour watch a number of campaign documentaries for research and preparation, that said, "we talked in the beginning about not having an unstructured documentary look to the film," she says. "The design had to be realistic, but it was also going to have the visual integrity and smoothness of a feature film."

Sharon Seymour was pleased that "we were actually going to shoot the movie where it was written for - in Ohio," she says. "It was great for the people in my department to start the shoot there because we all came to understand the flavor of Cincinnati and the state. We took that with us when we got to Detroit."

Almost all locations were practical - the two that required the most construction were Pullman and Morris headquarters, which were created in spaces for lease in downtown Detroit. The lack of lavish set pieces and design elements didn't stifle Sharon Seymour. "That's the goal of the design - you take these potentially pedestrian environments, and you find a way to make them interesting. As a filmmaker, you find the beauty in the ordinary."

Political consultants from both Ohio and Washington served as valuable resources for Sharon Seymour. They gave her an inside look at the machinations of contemporary political campaigns. "Everybody wants their candidate to look the best," she says. "There really is a whole one-upsmanship about the placement of your candidate - who gets to speak first, the height of the podiums. All the things that you think are impromptu typically are not. It's very orchestrated."

Campaign posters are just one of these highly orchestrated elements, and as much thought and planning went into Morris? paraphernalia as a genuine candidate's. "We wanted some feeling of difference between the two candidates," says Sharon Seymour. "Morris is the underdog. He's very much the 'free thinker? candidate - the man of the people. He's not the tried and true choice, but he's got a groundswell behind him, and he's now ahead in the polls by the time we pick him up in the movie."

As a result, Morris' campaign posters have a look that's hipper than Pullman's have. "Morris' graphics are more of the look that Obama brought to politics, which is a much more contemporary, graphic look," she says. "Not as photographic. More stylised and less structured."

Like Sharon Seymour, costume designer Louise Frogley strove for a classic, timeless look for the film. "It's about framing the actors, giving them support. You're not making a statement," says Louise Frogley about her role in the production. "It's not a stylish film from the point of view of the clothes. You'll never notice the clothes in this film."

The thinking behind many of the costumes was pure practicality, taking into account the demands of campaign life. "What can you pack in a suitcase for a week's trip?" asks Louise Frogley. "Two suits, two shirts - it's very minimal."

Louise Frogley's decisions were often influenced by the actors themselves. "Marisa Tomei wanted to look like Patti Smith - then she made it her own, taking it away from that look a bit," says Louise Frogley. "Ryan Gosling had a lot more opinions about the clothes than a lot of the actors - he's very interesting, and he's interested in clothes."

Mimicking his rise within the campaign ranks, Stephen's clothing definitely gets an upgrade by the last scene in the film, in which he wears a Gucci suit. By contrast, Paul Zara's suits look more rumpled over the duration of the film. The suit George Clooney wore as Governor Mike Morris was custom made - "We were finding that there's a certain classic look of present day politicians like Obama, and I wasn't able to find it off the rack," says Louise Frogley. George Clooney wanted Molly to dress very "preppy, young and correct," she says, while Cindy Morris, the governor's wife, should be dressed in "cashmere and pearls - very soft."

About the Production
Filming on The Ides of March began during late winter in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky (not far from George Clooney's hometown of Lexington). On location in and around Cincinnati, the production shot at such notable spots as Fountain Square, Roebling Bridge, Xavier University's Cintas Center and Miami University of Ohio. Shooting in the location where the vast majority of the film actually takes place was a luxury.

"It makes all the difference," says Grant Heslov. "You get to have some feeling of place."
In addition, "George Clooney is from the area, so he really knows it," continues Grant Heslov. "He knew the locations. He knew the people. It actually made it a lot of fun."

Shooting in an area where he is considered a beloved native son was a unique experience for George Clooney. Interest in the production definitely ran high - over 23,000 locals, for example, responded to an extras casting announcement.

"It was fun, and it made it easier for us," he says. "I was around my family for a while. As director, producer, co-writer and key actor, George Clooney didn't have much time for family reunions. On set, "He had so much to do," says Paul Giamatti. "But George Clooney was strangely relaxed about it. I love the way he did it. It was very straightforward and simple - he doesn't overwork things and doesn't overshoot things. You trust everything he's saying. He's a smart guy, and he wants to make good movies."

George Clooney encouraged his actors and creative team to prepare for shooting by watching various campaign documentaries, such as The War Room, which traced Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential bid; Journeys With George, about George W. Bush's 2000 campaign for the White House; and By the People: The Election of Barack Obama. The filmmakers even watched Primary, a groundbreaking 1960 documentary which followed presidential hopefuls John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey during that year's Wisconsin primary.

Stuart Stevens - a Republican campaign strategist, political advisor and media consultant who has worked on a number of presidential campaigns - also helped the filmmakers prepare. "Stuart Stevens was a really valuable voice," says George Clooney. "We would send him things and say, tell us where we're going wrong. Tell us what you would do in this situation. What's your pitch? Stuart's the perfect example of a guy who believes in the things that he says. He could work for anybody - he worked for George Bush, he could have just as easily worked for John McCain in that same primary."

About three weeks into shooting, the production moved to Detroit. Here, all of the interiors in the Pullman and Morris headquarters would be shot. Several downtown and suburban locations were used; the unit also shot for four days at the University of Michigan, including at sites such as the Arthur Miller Theater, Power Center and Michigan League ballroom. The production was a welcome presence in the area.

"Detroit's had it hard," says George Clooney of the location. "They lost most of the music industry, and they lost a lot of the car industry. And now they may be losing their film industry. I hope for them because they're going through a tough time right now."

Although George Clooney has directed himself before in Leatherheads, Good Night, and Good Luck., and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, it's not a chore he relishes. "Directing yourself is not a fun thing to do," he confesses. For example, during the large Morris speech scenes, "All I'm considering, all I'm thinking about while I'm speaking and can feel the camera moving this way and knowing that it's moving too soon is, 'I'm going to have to do this again.'"

The cast, however, was generally in awe of George Clooney's relaxed manner on set despite juggling multiple duties. "I don't know how you do it as an actor to be in the moment and also be outside the moment at the same time as a director, but he handles it very well," says Jeffrey Wright. "I guess he does everything with one eye on the other, but it doesn't show."

"As an actor he's very present and very professional," echoes Ryan Gosling. "As a director he's got a great visual eye, and he knows how to communicate what he wants. He knows what he's talking about."

"I don't think all actors should direct," adds Philip Seymour Hoffman. "But I think George Clooney is the kind of guy that should and did, and should keep doing it."

"George Clooney makes it a very comfortable set," agrees Marisa Tomei. "I feel very safe to screw up, basically. You feel like he's got you there in his hands. He's in control of it all, but loosely. His mind can handle lots and lots of things at the same time."

George Clooney's jokes and occasional pranks were also welcome on set, keeping smiles on the faces of extras and crew alike.

"George Clooney is hilarious," says Louise Frogley, the costume designer, who has worked with George Clooney on six films, including The Ides of March. "He's a very nice person to work with."

Ultimately, the filmmakers hope that audiences are entertained by a compelling story in "The Ides of March" and riveted by the strong performances of a top flight cast.

"I think that the movie will surprise people, in the sense that it's not exactly what people think it is," says producer Brian Oliver. "It's a lot more, and I think that when people see it and they see the performances, they're going to be impressed."

Furthermore, audiences don't have to be politically savvy to get caught up in the film's tangled web of behind-the-scenes manipulations. "It's very much a human drama," says Jeffrey Wright. "It's a play about interactions, desires, ideas and emotions that I think all of us as audience members will get wrapped up in. It's a very intense and moving ride."

But George Clooney wouldn't mind if the movie prompted viewers to ask themselves a few questions about the democratic process, too.

"Do we want to make every candidate have to be shiny?" he asks. "Is this really what we're going to do? Is this how we're going to elect people, the process that we're going to use? To me, it's an indictment on all of us."